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Relations between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi deteriorated sharply after Saudi-backed forces defeated the UAE-aligned Southern Transitional Council (STC) earlier this year.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (R) and UAE Vice President Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan meeting in Riyadh. (Saudi Press Agency photo via AFP)
The White House has privately urged Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to set aside their differences and work together against the Iran-aligned Houthis in Yemen, according to The Guardian.
The push comes after the Houthi offensive secured significant gains along Yemen’s western coast and near the strategic Bab al-Mandab strait.
The proposed cooperation could include a unified military command involving the UAE-trained Southern Giants Brigades, which have previously fought alongside forces backed by Abu Dhabi.
Saudi-UAE rift complicates anti-Houthi push
Relations between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi deteriorated sharply after Saudi-backed forces defeated the UAE-aligned Southern Transitional Council (STC) earlier this year. The UAE subsequently withdrew from Yemen.
The latest Houthi advance, however, has renewed pressure for the two Gulf powers to coordinate. The Houthis have pushed towards Bab al-Mandab and are also seeking to consolidate their position around Taiz.
Baraa Shiban, a Yemen specialist at the Royal United Services Institute, told the Guardian that efforts were under way to end the Saudi-UAE rift, but warned that the two sides remained divided. “The UAE and Saudi Arabia are fundamentally on opposite sides,” he said.
UAE-backed forces seen as key
Former Yemeni foreign minister Khaled Alyemany also tod the publication that Riyadh may need to reconsider its approach towards southern Yemen. He pointed to the UAE-trained Giant Brigades as among the better-equipped forces, however, has opposed merging the southern forces with Yemen’s government troops, fearing it would weaken its separatist capable of helping contain the Houthi advance.
“We cannot fight and wage wars in the north against the Houthis if we do not have a horizon for our independence,” Alyemany said, arguing that southern forces needed a political path towards self-determination.
The STC, however, has opposed merging the southern forces with Yemen’s government troops, fearing it would weaken its separatist ambitions.
Israel proposal adds complexity
The Guardian reported that an Abu Dhabi meeting attended by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed and Arab representatives also discussed Yemen. Netanyahu reportedly offered help to Saudi Arabia against the Houthis.
Another meeting was held in Riyadh between Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman and UAE Vice-President Mansour bin Zayed.
Saudi Arabia remains reluctant to cooperate openly with Israel, while it also fears that empowering southern separatists could deepen Yemen’s division and strengthen Houthi control in the north.
April Longley Alley of the Washington Institute said the conflict was “existential” for Saudi Arabia, while the Houthis were unlikely to compromise. “The Houthis are demanding a victor’s peace,” she said.
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Ask News18The White House privately urged Saudi Arabia and the UAE to set aside their differences and coordinate against the Iran-aligned Houthis after a Houthi offensive secured significant territorial gains along Yemen’s western coast and near the strategic Bab al-Mandab strait.
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September 30, 2026, 01:35 IST
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